Islamic State has eyes on oil production

IS may have established a rudimentary oil and gas system, but it needs to find fresh production if it is to support itself

Most Middle Eastern militias view oil and gas assets either as sabotage targets or as bargaining chips to extract concessions from their opponents. Not so the self-styled Islamic State. From the outset, IS has set its self apart from the terrorist herd, viewing hydrocarbons as a critical resource in building their fledgling caliphate. Crude oil revenue streams are being used to consolidate its expanded territorial empire that stretches from the northern Syrian town of Raqqa to Ramadi, in touching distance of the Iraqi capital.  Having muscled rival Islamist militias out of the oil-rich eastern Syrian oil patch in 2013, it swiftly assigned fields to clans that had sworn allegiance to IS. It a